Disfigure Me
by nianic
Summary: Draco and Hermione return to Hogwarts for their eighth and final year of schooling. A post-war story about forgiveness, transformation, and romance, as Draco and Hermione find more in common with one another than they ever conceived possible.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So after years of reading fanfiction, I am finally writing my own. I know this plot has been done and redone countless times, but we've all got to start somewhere, right? I am obsessed with Dramione and hope my story can contain just a fraction of the beauty as some of the others I've read in the past.**

 **I'm not entirely sure how long this story will be. My intentions were to create a short, 5,000-word story, but as soon as I began writing, the words began flowing like wine. We shall see!**

 **And, as most of you are aware, I do not own Harry Potter or the Harry Potter universe. I just pretend to in my spare time.** **Please read and review!** **I hope you all enjoy~~**

Hermione looked up as she heard an owl swoop into the Weasley home. The Burrow was quiet that particular morning. Harry and Ron were training as Aurors for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, George had moved out after the end of the war, Molly was upstairs, bed-ridden and heartbroken, and Arthur was upstairs lying with her before she took her nap. Ginny was sitting at the table with Hermione, drinking a cup of tea and sitting in pure silence.

The family was grieving the loss of Fred and the countless others that had died just months ago. Once George left the home felt as if it was taken off life support. Hermione could practically see the dust forming on the couch, on the counters, on the chairs surrounding the wooden table she and Ginny were sitting at.

The sound of the owl had shocked her from her reverie and she set her cup down and stood up from the table. The sound of the chair scraping against the hardwood floors startled her and she wondered how long they had been sitting in silence. Sometimes she felt her brain was shutting up off to protect her from falling apart completely, like a defense mechanism against extreme danger. She pulled the two cream-colored envelopes from the owl's beak and replaced them with a treat. Hermione simply stared at the contents in her hands.

"What is it?" Ginny asked.

Hermione looked at her and gave a slight smile. "They're letters from Hogwarts. I suppose McGonagall is offering Eighth Year spots at school this year." She handed Ginny her letter before tearing her own letter open. The truth was, she had been hoping desperately for an escape from the Burrow. She couldn't leave on her own accord because of her deep admiration and love for the Weasley clan, but she also couldn't bear to hear Mrs. Weasley's cries at night. She was happy to be alive and happy to have won the war, but the aftermath of it all was unsettling.

Ginny, on the other hand, was quite uncertain. She wanted to be with her family through this grieving process, even if it meant giving up her final year at Hogwarts. Her mum and dad needed her now more than ever, and, now that Harry was in training, she wouldn't see him near as often if she left now. "I don't think I'm going." Ginny slid the letter back into the envelope and looked at Hermione, waiting for her response. She knew what Hermione would say, but she needed to hear the response directly.

But Ginny was surprised when Hermione simply nodded and told her she understood. "I need to go back, I think. Pick up where I left off." She chuckled during her pause. "As if that's possible."

She let her mind imagine how Hogwarts looked now. She had helped rebuild the school immediately after the war, but when her shock faded to realization, she went back to the Burrow to surround herself with her friends and family. The trials were taking up the majority of her time as she was eagerly waiting the outcome of Malfoy's lawsuit. She knew as a Death Eater he had been guilty of some crimes, but she also knew and recognized his innocence in Dumbledore's death and those moments in Malfoy Manor when he easily could have given up Harry's identity. Draco Malfoy was not her favorite person in the world, but she appreciated his hesitance in the grand scheme of Voldemort's reign.

She needed some semblance of familiarity, and the only other home she now had access to was Hogwarts. Even if her best friends wouldn't be joining her. At the very least, it would give her the structure she needed to rebuild her life and recover from all of the drastic changes.

She stood up from the table and went upstairs to the room she was sharing with Ginny. She scanned the room, taking note of everything she was going to take with her to Hogwarts. All she could do was wait. It felt like all she ever did these days.

~ { oOo } ~

Finally after weeks of consistent routine, Hermione was finally headed to Hogwarts. She was currently sitting aboard the Hogwarts Express, but hadn't yet seen anyone she recognized well enough to sit with and was in an empty compartment staring out at the platform. She held a copy of the Daily Prophet in her hands that she had read and reread several times. "Former Death Eater Draco Malfoy Found Innocent" was in big, bold letters across the front page.

Another win, she thought.

She finally spotted his bright blonde hair in the crowd. He was dressed in all black and pulling his trunk behind him. Next to him was his mother and Blaise Zabini. Hermione watched as he kissed his mother once on each cheek and gave her a tight hug. Blaise waved goodbye to Narcissa, and as they turned to secure their luggage on the train, Draco looked up and locked eyes with Hermione, who was now staring intensely at the pair. Hermione blinked and Draco was looking away. She jerked suddenly and sat back in her seat, moving the newspaper from her lap to her pocket.

Moments later the platform cleared and she felt the train start up beneath her. She closed her eyes and listened to the sounds around her, thankful to be heading to her second home. The last image in her mind before she drifted off to sleep was the picture of Draco Malfoy on the cover of the Daily Prophet the moment his innocence was announced. It was the first time in years that she saw actual joy on his face.

~ { oOo } ~

The first thing Draco noticed while standing on Platform 9 3/4 was how few students he recognized boarding the train. He knew there were many eighth years coming back to finish out the school year, but he hadn't seen or heard from anyone since before the war began. Instead, he'd been in courtroom after courtroom listening to people discuss him and his actions as if they were him. He was thankful for the fall of the Dark Lord, thankful for Harry Potter in those final moments, and thankful for his life. He did not mind sitting through the trials if it meant he would be spared from Azkaban, and, according to his team of lawyers, it was actually possible.

When Hermione Granger's name was brought up he was worried she would get him locked away for the rest of his life. He was shocked to find her words were in his favor. She was helping him stay out of Azkaban. He watched her speak with confidence, her voice breaking slightly only to strengthen as she continued her story. Her hair was tied up in a loose bun and her wardrobe was simple. Her eyes looked tired and her body neglected. He was confident his own didn't look so great at the moment either.

The war was rough for both sides of the war, particularly for those on the Dark side who were only participating to avoid death at Voldemort's hands. Draco was performing his rightful duty as a Malfoy but had no desire to kill his fellow students and professors. Hell, he struggled killing the muggles and muggleborns he was constantly berating. His hesitance in destruction made him rethink his behavior up until then. It was as if he had been participating in a months-long near death experience and was finally in a position to make his own decisions regarding his life. He was no longer being held captive, and the freedom he so wanted was so close he could taste it.

Granger was the last person to testify, and, after two days of consideration, he was granted freedom from this horrendous event and placed on a probation of sorts. He was to continue his education at Hogwarts for the next year, under the condition that he make next to perfect grades and must participate in various clubs on campus. He eagerly agreed, thinking this was nothing compared to being kissed by dementors until his body gave up on him.

A week later he received his official letter from Hogwarts with a message from McGonagall reiterating the stipulations of his probation, and he was finally able to breathe the relief into his lungs he had been reaching for for months.

And now, standing on the platform in front of the Hogwarts Express, all he could feel was nervousness and a slight sense of dread. He would feel the stares from everyone around him. His entire life he was proud of his characteristic Malfoy traits, knowing they would gain him recognition; now he cursed them. It didn't hit him until this very moment that not everyone in the wizarding world would except his innocence in the war. He knew how the situation looked, and knew his behavior in his formative years didn't necessarily help his case at all. But he was different now. Everyone was.

After hugging his mother goodbye, he began loading his trunk on the train. He looked up and caught Hermione Granger looking at him from an otherwise empty compartment. He felt himself freeze but willed himself to look away. "It looks like Granger came back," Blaise commented as he looked up at the train. He patted Draco on the shoulder and walked towards one of the doors of the train. "C'mon, mate," he smiled confidently at Draco and disappeared. Draco steeled himself and followed his best friend.

As he and Blaise passed several empty compartments Draco wondered if Blaise was looking for other Slytherins or just looking for seclusion. When they passed Hermione's compartment Draco couldn't help but pause for a moment. He wanted to thank her, but he couldn't bring himself to initiate contact with her either. He knew she testified out of justice and not for kinship. Up ahead, Blaise slipped into a compartment and slid the door closed after Draco walked in. They sat and talked about their classes and professors, discussing who was returning for their final year, and which of the younger female students they would plan to seduce. Draco held a grin for the first time that day.

Later, after the trolley stopped by and the sky began to darken, Draco excused himself and was walking the length of the train. He knew what he was looking for but refused to admit it, even to himself. Hermione's compartment door slid open and she was stepping out right as he was passing by, nearly colliding with him. She opened her mouth to speak but he cut her off.

"Granger, I should have figured you'd be back this year. Just can't keep away from the books, I see." She shrunk a bit at his words but remained standing where she was.

"It's lovely to see you as well, Malfoy. How was your summer?" She spoke with a bite to her words. She knew his summer had to have been miserable, what with everything that happened with him and his family. She held his gaze and refused to look away. She wasn't putting up with any of his shit this year, her final year, especially after the events that took place over the past few months. She saved him, for Merlin's sake!

Draco reached out his hand to Hermione and she looked down as if he was offering her a marriage proposal. "Follow me, Granger." When she didn't move, he grabbed her left hand and pulled her into a nearby compartment and shut the door behind them. He sat down while she stood, shocked, in front of the closed door. "Thank you.. for helping me. And my mother. She appreciates it more than you or Potter know."

Hermione finally sat down across from him and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She felt her brain do that shutting-down thing again but managed to find her voice. "You're welcome, Malfoy. You basically did the same for us." She looked out of the window but she felt him looking at her intensely. "Why didn't you say anything when you had the chance to?" She looked up at him again to see his face studying her own. He looked handsome, albeit slightly exhausted. His body was more muscular, but she couldn't remember if he had picked up the weight before or after his trials. She wondered briefly what he thought of her current state.

"I don't know," was his response. He was lying, of course. He had had plenty of time that summer to find an honest answer to that exact question.

She looked down at his shoes, noticing how clean they looked. She wondered if he had gotten new shoes for the start of the term. She began to stand, and, with a low voice, muttered, "Well, thanks anyway," and started towards the door. She turned around to face him while he himself was beginning to stand and follow her out.

"Hermione—" he started but didn't finish.

He closed his mouth and reached a hand to tuck that same strand of hair behind her ear. The intimacy of the motion surprised Hermione, considering just a year ago he was calling her some of the most demeaning names that existed in the wizarding world. He reached behind her, slid the door open, and slipped out, leaving her standing there alone and surprised. She sat back down where he had just been sitting and smelled the fragrance he had been wearing. Hermione waited until she felt the train pull up to the station before she moved again.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you all so much for reviewing, favoriting, and following! I'm so excited that _someone_ out there likes my story. I hope to update as often as possible. As soon as I posted the first chapter last night I began working on the second chapter. I hope you all enjoy where I'm taking the story, but please let me know if you have any comments, questions, or concerns that need clarification. Enjoy chapter 2! And, of course, I do not own the Harry Potter world.**

Hermione didn't see Malfoy again that night. She had looked for him at dinner, but was surprised at herself and proceeded to eat her dinner without staring at the Slytherin table every chance she got. It turns out not many Gryffindors returned for their eighth year and Hogwarts was already beginning to feel bizarre without Harry and Ron flanking her sides.

The school looked almost exactly as it had before, as if McGonagall had charmed an original blueprint of the school to reappear in the world. The Great Hall was as jubilant as ever as the first years walked in with excitement heavy in their voices. The conversations she was hearing were filling her with a melancholia that she recognized well. She missed the innocence of her first year at Hogwarts. Just seven years earlier she never would have guessed that she would be fighting to save the wizarding world from irrevocable danger. Seven years ago she never would have imagined feeling the emotions that swept over her on a daily basis. She didn't know this type of sadness existed in the world.

Hermione was sitting with a few seventh years that she recognized from years prior and was discussing the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Her eyes instinctively looked up at the long table at the front of the hall where professors were seated and watching the students. McGonagall winked at Hermione from across the room and smiled, happy to see one of the most brilliant students to ever walk the halls of Hogwarts back and eager to learn. Four seats down sat a man with darker skin and curly hair taking a sip of his pumpkin juice. He was older, probably in his late forties, and had a tattoo on his face that shimmered in the light.

A short mousy woman sat beside him wearing bright emerald robes and a witch's hat. She was reading the same copy of the Daily Prophet that Hermione had been studying all day. She watched the small photo of Draco grinning on the cover even though she couldn't make out any of the details. His face had burned itself into her memory—she didn't even need to look at the cover to know how he was moving in the photograph. She closed her eyes and watched as he jumped into his mother's arms and turned towards he camera with a wide smile spread across his face.

McGonagall stood up and tapped her fork against her goblet. Hermione's eyes opened. "I would like to welcome all first years to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, as well as all eighth year students that decided to continue their education here despite the terrible events that took place here just last term. As per tradition, we will begin tonight's festivities with the Sorting Hat, and then we will continue with the feast. Afterwards, I would like all prefects and honorary head students to escort first years to their common rooms. Please provide passwords and ensure that everyone has settled in nicely for their first night here.

"Before I continue on to the sorting of houses, I would like to introduce Mister Ulric Lofgoran and Althea Hildegaard as your Defense Against the Dark Arts professor and your Potions professor, respectively. We look forward to working with them this year.

"Now, let's begin!"

Roughly twenty new students moved to each house table. Hermione and her fellow Gryffindors were cheering happily, and she wondered how she looked as her skin pulled tightly on each side of her face. The Burrow had been so buried with grief she couldn't remember the last time she showed her teeth. It felt foreign, like her muscles were frozen in a permanent frown. The cheering eventually ended and the feast began, and as Hermione felt her facial features return to normal she tried everything in her power to resist looking up at the Slytherin table. She still couldn't spot him.

~ { oOo } ~

Hermione was felt a twinge of excitement when she walked into the Potions classroom and spotted that blonde mass of hair sitting in the corner next to Blaise. Classes with Slytherins usually didn't bring her joy, but after her encounter with Malfoy the previous day, she thought perhaps things really could change. Still, she decided on a seat towards the back, away from Malfoy and any other Slytherins. She pulled her book out onto her desk but did not open it. She was thrilled to be in a classroom again, but she still felt a sharp inability to focus on her studies the way she used to. The information was there, stored in the lobes of her brain, but there was a fog that clouded her thoughts and kept her mind occupied.

She thought of Molly and Fred. Hermione looked up and caught Malfoy staring at her over Blaise's shoulder. He muttered something to Blaise, and Hermione saw him get up from his seat and move next to Hermione. She immediately straightened her back and placed her hand on her book. Why was he coming over? She looked straight ahead at the desk where Althea Hildegaard should have already been standing.

Malfoy sat down in the empty seat next to her but said nothing. Neither of them spoke as the class waited for Professor Hildegaard to show up to class, but they both felt the unspoken words hanging in the air between them. Moments later, Professor Hildegaard walked into the classroom holding a jar of black liquid in her hands. She set the jar on the desk and asked the class to name the liquid. Hermione scribbled the answer down on her sheet of paper but did not raise her hand to say it aloud.

Draco Malfoy, to her left, watched as she wrote "Motherwort Stew, made with motherwort, anise, and mint. When brewed together at low temperatures, the stew becomes thick and black, but when ingested feels as if you're swallowing nothing. Uses are relief brought on by grief and worry." He looked at her profile, waiting for her damned hand to shoot up in the air. Something was clearly wrong.

"Motherwort Stew," Professor Hildegaard answered her own question. "And can anyone tell me what it does?" She scanned the room waiting for a response. "Yes, um…"

"Draco Malfoy."

"Yes, Mr. Malfoy, what is Motherwort Stew used for?"

Malfoy glanced once at Hermione and then at the professor standing at the head of the class. "It's used to relieve symptoms of grief and worry."

"That is correct! Five points to Slytherin! You all will be brewing this potion today with the help of your partners. For today, simply work with the student next to you. Next class I will assign pairs for the term. Now, grab a cauldron and your necessary ingredients. Instructions are on page 27 of your textbooks."

As soon as the professor was done speaking, most of the students in the classroom stood up to retrieve materials for the day's lesson. Draco and Hermione remained seated in the back of the classroom. "Too scared to speak up in class without Potter and the Weasel sitting next to you, Granger?"

Hermione simply shrugged and muttered, "Sod off, Malfoy." She noticed he was using her last name again. "What does it matter anyway, it's not like anyone else in the class knows what kind of student I am."

"Has the war changed you that much? Why are you even here?" he asked her while shaking his head aggressively.

Hermione's eyebrows furrowed as her head snapped up to him. Her voice was a fierce whisper. "Of course the war changed me that much. Have you really bounced back so quickly, Malfoy, that you forgot all of the torture and loss the rest of us went through because of your side?" She reminded herself to breathe deeply. Hermione looked around to make sure no other students were listening in on their conversation, but they all seemed to be talking with their own partners and beginning to brew their potions.

"And I'm here because I want life to go back to normal." Hermione's voice had lost its anger and was floating lightly in the air. "Only I haven't gone back to normal yet." She stood up to retrieve a cauldron for her and Draco to share, as well as the numerous ingredients necessary to brew the Motherwort Stew.

When she got back to their desk Draco was already reading the instructions on how to brew the potion and was controlling the temperature of the flames he'd just ignited. He took the cauldron from Hermione's hands and set it on top of the fire. "Start stirring in the anise and chopped mint." Draco wouldn't even look at her, but his voice was different, less harsh. Less accusatory.

Hermione did as she was told without question, thinking their dynamic in Potions class might not be all that bad. Malfoy had always excelled at Potions and was questionably better at it than she. Not that she would ever admit it, especially to him, but they would make a dazzling pair in that class.

"I'm sorry for what I said, Hermione. I just never would have guessed that the Gryffindor Princess would hide away in class and resort to scribbling answers instead of calling them out."

"There you go again, using my first name as if we're friends. Just because I'm civil to you, Malfoy, doesn't mean we've formed a friendship." Hermione was stirring the potion and checking the temperature.

"But haven't we? We are the only two people in this building right now that know exactly what happened at the Manor that night. I think we formed a sort of friendship the moment I hid your identity at the Manor." Draco looked at Hermione with ferocity, begging silently for her to disagree. He knew she couldn't.

Hermione could smell the potion beginning to transform into its thick, bubbly state. She had made the potion over the summer as she waited for classes to resume. She knew the instructions forward and backward, but what she didn't know is that Draco was correct. She hadn't even thought of their circumstances that way, but he was right—they were the only two people there that had experienced that traumatic night. She couldn't tell if she was comforted or disturbed by that fact, but from the look Draco Malfoy was giving her, she was feeling the slightest sense of comfort.

"Is that why you did it? To make friends?" she said somewhat incredulously.

"Do you truly believe I lied to them just so one day, months later, you and I could become friends? You're bloody mad." Anger was once again laced into his voice. "I was on the Dark Side, Hermione, my top priority wasn't finding new friends in preparation for the end of the war."

"It's not an absurd question considering you left Blaise to sit next to me. Friendship may not have been your first priority, but evidently neither was being a Death Eater." Her eyes had been burning holes in the side of his face as he prepared the jars for the potion they had just brewed. Hermione looked away from him, unable to understand him.

Professor Hildegaard walked over to their table and dipped a ladle into the contents of the cauldron. She swirled the deep spoon in front of her nose before bringing it to her lips for a taste. "This is absolute perfection! I haven't seen this potion brewed this well since I created it for the first time. Ten points to Slytherin and Gryffindor! And I hope you'll enjoy the same pairing in the next class."

Draco grabbed his book and stood up to leave, once again leaving Hermione in the wake of his words. Were she and Draco friends of sorts?

~ { oOo } ~

Draco couldn't believe Hermione was sitting in the back of a classroom during a lesson maintaining silence. The girl was never silent during lessons! If she was doing something slightly more suspicious he might have considered checking if she was under an Imperius curse. It was like she was walking with a completely different body.

But Draco understood the ways in which the war had affected people. If he could sense the changes in himself, surely he could sense the ones in Hermione Granger. Her hair had grown longer and was wilder than ever, though the frizz was gone, leaving it in loose rings that moved with her body. She eyes were the same rich chocolate brown, but she looked more vacant these days, like her mind was constantly elsewhere. At dinner the first night, he noticed how empty she looked as she stared up at the bewitched ceiling. Was she looking for something or looking at nothing? He had to admit that a small part of him was worried if he looked up too many times he would eventually see the Dark Mark hovering above them during their meal.

He couldn't help but replay their conversation in their head. She said she was here because she wanted life to go back to normal. Life was never going to be "back to normal". Was life ever normal for them? Draco may not have been fighting trolls and entering the Chamber of Secrets in her younger years, but he was definitely facing his father's strict ideology regarding pureblood wizards and the Malfoy name. Up until now life had been completely planned out for him, and not in a woe-is-me sort of way. He knew how it looked, being the Malfoy heir and getting off easy on his charges. He knew that people wouldn't understand his innocence in the situation.

Draco was fighting for his life in a different way at 12 years old, and, more recently, at 17 years old. Disagreeing with his father, and more importantly the Dark Lord, was impossible without the consequence of death. So he said what he needed to say and do what he needed to do in order to perfect his performance as a heartless git. When it was announced that he wouldn't be sent to Azkaban like his father, the grin splayed across every copy of the Daily Prophet was a response to the massive amount of relief that filled his body. He was free. Free from everything that had once dictated his life and drained his body like a daily dementor's kiss. His requirement to finish school with near perfect grades and participation in school activities was welcomed with fervor.

While Hermione was there to get back to normal, he was there to start over. He knew students would recognize his name because of the amount of publicity and media coverage his family's trials had gotten, but they didn't know the version of him that had walked the halls of Hogwarts before the war.

When he spoke to Hermione he was truly speaking to Hermione. He was repenting, showing the few people that did bother to come back for their eighth year that he hadn't meant to harm anyone else in the process of saving himself. Hermione didn't know that, of course, nor did she know that Draco had been feeling emotions towards her since she testified on his behalf. He was feeling mostly gratitude, like he owed her something now. He owed her a chance to get back to normal.

Would it ever be possible for the two of them to be friends? Maybe their eighth year was a way for them to hit "reset" on their very first year at Hogwarts, and maybe this was his chance to start over with Hermione. This was his chance to prove to her that he never saw her as inferior. Quite the opposite, actually, he respected someone who made better grades than he did and had a mind as quick as his. Whenever he went home and his father asked about his grades he was more excited than angry to announce that Granger the muggleborn was scoring higher than he. The horrified look in his father's eyes filled Draco with a sense of defiance, of rebellion, knowing that his father might use him as a puppet, but deep down inside Draco Malfoy was his own person. And he was not put off by the Gryffindor Princess's ability to keep up with even the purest of wizards.

~ { oOo } ~

Potions was Hermione's last class of the day, and, as such, found herself sitting in the library looking for a book on plants and herbs found in the Forbidden Forest. She grabbed the book she was looking for and sat down at one of the tables. Just as she opened it she heard footsteps growing nearer. Refusing to break her concentration, Hermione continued reading her book, thinking if it was anyone of importance they would make themselves known.

And, as if reading her mind, Draco Malfoy cleared his throat and pulled a chair out from under the table. "Should've known I'd find you here," he said with a chuckle. He dropped his bag on the table and sat down opposite Hermione.

Hermione really didn't know what to say. She knew her relationship with Malfoy had been steadily changing, but didn't know how to approach this change. "Look," he began, "I want to call a truce. We don't have to be friends if the idea puts you off, but I would fancy a study partner if you're interested."

She glanced at him briefly but otherwise kept her eyes locked on the pages of her book. She looked skeptical, her eyes narrow, and her legs now crossed as she leaned back in her chair.

"Why in Merlin's name would I want to sit with the man who called me a 'mudblood' the first six years of schooling? Give me one good reason why I should help you, Malfoy." Hermione rolled her eyes and placed her now closed book on the table between them. She couldn't believe what he was asking of her. Had he really forgotten their past?

He leaned forward and met her gaze with a smirk. "Well, besides the fact that it seems you have no friends here right now, and without taking into consideration how bloody handsome I am, you should help me because you already have once before. You know as well as I do that none of us are the same as we were back then." At the end of his sentence he voice had gotten more serious. His smirk fell off his face.

"And, what, because the Dark Lord fell you suddenly aren't a pompous git anymore?" She helped him during his trials because she was doing what was right. Hermione could set her feelings aside for one day as she convinced the Ministry of Magic that Draco Malfoy didn't deserve Azkaban, but this? How could she suddenly be smitten with someone who fought to kill her and her friends, her family, her classmates? Then again, she knew his reasoning had been quite different.

"Look, I owe you… a lot for what you did. Just let me show you that it was worth something." Draco's eyes were filled with sincerity. Hermione wasn't heartless, she just didn't want to be taken advantage of. Sometimes she could be a bit too understanding of those around her.

"Fine, I'll help you with your classes. But seriously, Malfoy, don't cross me."

"I wouldn't dream of it, Hermione." He pulled out his Potions textbook and began reading. Hermione simply watched him, looking for signs of an Imperius.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry it's been such a long time since I last updated. Writing a fanfiction is much more difficult than I thought it would be. There's a lot of responsibility in it, and I'm not sure I'm even a little prepared. Anyway, here's a new chapter. I hope it isn't moving too quickly, but I want to get the story going.**

The next morning was pure chaos for Hermione after she woke up to an empty dormitory. It was 10:04 which meant she missed Charms and was about to be terribly late to Potions. She barely slept the night before and felt groggy, like she left her head behind on the pillow while her body moved throughout her room, reaching for anything she could throw on for class. After getting dressed and completing her morning rituals she checked the clock once more and darted out of the girl's dormitories and into the common room where the emptiness reminded her just how late she was for class. With an audible groan, she trudged along and into the hallways, sprinting through a maze of stone.

Hermione could hardly believe she overslept; not once in her years at Hogwarts had she been late to a class. She was more nervous about what the students would say than the professors, and, as she got closer to her destination the memories of the previous evening came to focus. She and Draco had actually had a civil conversation where he asked to study with her a couple of times a week. Normally she would have told him to sod off but something in his voice resonated with her and she couldn't turn him away. She agreed to these friendly meetings because she needed to know that there was a reason behind all the death and destruction they'd all faced months ago, and after speaking with Draco she recognized he did too.

And so she said yes, and they agreed to meet later this afternoon, after classes. She mentally rolled her eyes at what obnoxious remark he was going to make when he saw her stroll into class thirty minutes late. As Hermione neared the door to the Potions room she stopped and took a deep breath, steeling herself for the numerous faces that would turn toward the door as she walked in.

"How nice of you to join us, Ms. Granger," Professor Hildegaard said with a coy smile as Hermione stepped through the door. "Please, take a seat. It would be wise of you to copy notes from your lab partner." Professor Hildegaard turned her attention back to the textbook lying on the desk in front of her and began reading aloud to the class.

Hermione sat down quietly in her chair and reached into her bag for her Potions textbook, realizing quickly that she brought the wrong book to class. She sat back in frustration and crossed her arms. She heard the sound of a book sliding across her desk and turned to look at the source. Draco's eyes were straight ahead, but his hand was on his closed Potions book now lying directly in front of Hermione. She was in shock and thought perhaps this was a cruel joke and he'd snatch his book back the second she reached out for it. She looked at him, hoping he would turn to face her, and he did just that. He said nothing, though, just tapped on the cover of the book and turned again to face Professor Hildegaard.

Hermione slowly turned back to the book in front of her and opened it where a small sheet of parchment was sticking out.

 _Why are you late?_ it read. She scribbled back.

 _Why aren't you using your textbook?_

 _Why aren't you using yours?_

 _I brought the wrong one on accident. I overslept this morning._

 _We have to write about the most useful potion we've come across and why. Due Friday. I'm sure you'll be writing about Sleekeazy's._

Hermione narrowed her eyes at the paper in front of her and huffed. What a git, she thought, as her eyes moved from the parchment they'd been writing on to the pages of Draco Malfoy's textbook.

~ { oOo } ~

By the time Hermione was due to meet Draco for their study session, it was clear to her that everyone had heard about her missing a class and being late for another. Countless students had come up to her all day asking if she was ill. It made sense, of course, considering up until now Hermione was the poster child for the perfect student. She was an overachiever, an intelligent witch who read her textbooks enough times to anticipate the questions that would be asked the following day in her classes. Still, it bothered her just how big of a deal everyone was making it.

When she got to the library she spotted Draco's silver hair and the piles of books surrounding him on the table he was sitting at. When she reached him she sat down and picked up one of the books closest to her, Advanced Healing Potions of the Middle Ages. She raised her eyebrows, "Wow, you really do love Potions, don't you?" She set the book back down and placed her bag on the table. Draco had been taking notes from one of the books in front of him but looked up when she set her bag on the table.

"You could say that." He rolled up his parchment paper and set it aside. "So, what's the subject of discussion today? I mean, besides the infamous Hermione Granger. What a rebel, that one."

"Ugh, that means I didn't make it up in my head, they all have been talking about me."

Draco smiled mischievously. "They think you were late because you spent the night in the boys' dormitory."

Hermione's mouth hung open and her eyes got big. "Are you joking? I was in my own bed last night! I don't see what the big deal is, people are late to class all the time without people coming up with stories as ridiculous as Rita Skeeter's."

"Yeah, but those people aren't part of the Golden Trio, and definitely not one of the brightest witches of our age."

For the second time today and what felt like the hundredth time since school started, Draco had her speechless. How can he be so friendly so suddenly? Hermione definitely enjoyed being around this Draco better, but she was still taken aback at his actions. For the first time in seven years she was seeing a Draco that had either been hidden behind his mask of coldness or had blossomed from the ashes of the war. And after all this questioning it dawned on her that she was different, too. Just today she shattered the impression she had left on people of being the one person who had control of every situation and always had her priorities in order.

Hermione let her doubts subside and accepted this version of Draco, even if it was only temporary, like a PTSD-induced trance that would crack in a few months and the old Draco would snap back to reality. So what if she and Draco became friends? Er, maybe just acquaintances for now, but, really, the idea didn't so as absurd as it would have a year ago.  
In the midst of all this thinking, a soft silence grew and Draco was the first to break it. "So the first Hogsmeade trip is coming up. Are you going?" He was now leaning back in his chair with his legs resting on the desk. "There's supposed to be a big parade to welcome back the students."

"I hadn't been planning on it, but perhaps I will. Are you?"

"A couple of the guys are going, so I'll probably tag along. Maybe I'll see you there."

Hermione nodded, "Maybe you will."

And with that Draco unrolled his parchment and returned to his book, while Hermione started copying notes for her Herbology class, and they spent the next hour in amiable silence.

~ { oOo } ~

"Are you excited about the parade this evening?" Calista practically yelled.

"I'm not so much excited as I am curious. Clearly you're ecstatic," Hermione replied with a wide grin. She was enjoying how animated her new friend was becoming about Hogsmeade. The two girls were in their dorm planning their perfect outfit for the evening—nothing too cold, but nothing too warm. Hermione finally decided on a colorful jumper and jeans.  
Calista laughed and rolled her eyes.

"Of course I am! Everyone is going to be there, and this is something that has never been done before. Don't you enjoy experiencing firsts? And besides, it will be the perfect time to find a prospective suitor for the term." She grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder and reached a hand out to Hermione. "Are you ready to head down?"

Hermione nodded and followed Calista out of the room. She wondered for a brief moment if Draco was actually going to show up. On the walk to the Great Hall she spotted numerous people she knew from prior years. Perhaps Calista was right, she thought, everyone will be here tonight.

~ { oOo } ~

By the time he had made it to Hogsmeade the sun was beginning to set and a lovely breeze was filling the air. The evening sky was one of those spectacular sights where the sky was purple and pink and orange and the hint of stars speckled the world above. Draco was in high spirits to be with Blaise again and enjoying a moment where grades weren't a priority.

The streets were crowded with students, though, and Draco and Blaise dipped into a nearby shop to look at new Quidditch gear. Draco found nothing worth purchasing and made his way out into the street. Students lined each side of the street to make way for the floats as they floated through the throng of people. The first thing Draco could see were ten female dancers with colorful, flowing garments moving together in formation. He wasn't big on what looked like interpretive dance, but the movements looked beautiful.

Behind the women were sparklers going off, shooting confetti and lights into the air as cheerful music began playing. Floats full of people literally floated off the ground, enchanted so they gracefully followed the female dancers. Everyone was mesmerized at the magic of the moment, and, as Draco scanned the crowds he spotted her next to the blonde girl in his Transfiguration class. He turned to Blaise and said, "Follow me," and proceeded to wind his way through the crowd to the girl he thought about so often.

"Granger, you showed up." Draco turned towards Calista, nodded his head, and asked how she was doing. "What did you have to do to get her to come out with you?" he directed towards Calista.

"Oh, you know, I just had to threaten to send a love letter from her addressed to Michael Debilicus. He's such a creep," Calista responded. She was standing straighter and her eyes were flirty now that she had Draco's attention on her.

Draco flashed a grin in her direction and looked back at Hermione who was sipping a cup of coffee. "This is Blaise, by the way. A fellow Slytherin." Blaise took Calista's hand and pressed a soft kiss to it as he bowed.

"A pleasure," he said, clearly still in shock that Draco dragged him over here to speak with none other than know-it-all Granger. Sure, the times were different, but since when were they civil with one another?

"Granger, how about a refill on that coffee?" Hermione's cup of coffee was still full but she nodded her head anyway and allowed Draco to lead her out of the chaos of the crowd and into a small coffee shop at the end of the street. They were walking in silence but Hermione kept looking up at Draco.

"I'm glad you came."

Hermione was taken aback. "Why is that?"

Draco was quick to answer. "Because you live such a structured life, sometimes it's healthy to switch up your routine from time to time. And because it gives me another chance to annoy you until that little vein in your forehead starts throbbing." He chuckled at the end of his sentence and looked down at Hermione who had to be at least eight inches shorter than him.

"How would you know what kind of life I live? And whoever said structure is a bad thing? Perhaps you move to freely throughout your day."

"I didn't say it was a bad thing, but too much of anything is a bad thing. You've got to find balance, Granger. It's okay to be late to class or go out with your friends. The world won't think any less of you, especially after the past few months."  
Hermione had had enough. "What in Merlin's name do you know about balance? Malfoy, you were a prick to me my entire life." She stopped walking to focus on raising her voice to Draco. "I know we've been friendly to each other the past few weeks, but honestly, how have you changed this much?"

She wasn't angry per se, but she was feeling attacked having the man who caused her so much torment in her younger years try to explain to her how to live a balanced life.

"Hermione, do you seriously have to ask that question? We experienced a war. At seventeen years old we were in the middle of a fucking war, of course I've changed!" His voice was growing stronger. "I'm—I was never that boy. I take responsibility for my actions, but I'm not that boy."

He began walking again, taking long strides and leaving Hermione standing on the sidewalk in front of a shoe store. Hermione began jogging to catch up with him right when Draco stopped and turned around. Their bodies collided and knocked them out of their dispute. "Now that my father isn't around I no longer fear living, at least not the way I've always known I'd wanted to. You don't understand what it's like living a lie to protect yourself and the ones around you." They were inches apart and looking at each other intensely. Hermione could feel the heat radiating from his body and took a step back. She was way too close to him for comfort.

Draco stepped forward, though, making sure the distance she had just created was closed. He wanted so badly to kiss the girl in front of him and to declare the feelings he had for her, but how could he when she could barely believe he wanted to be friends? He understood her reasoning, but it hurt nonetheless. He opened his mouth to speak but nothing else came out.  
"It doesn't change the past, though. It doesn't change the fact that we were enemies up until a few weeks ago. I've got to warm up to the idea of a nice Draco Malfoy. Believe it or not, I do understand what it's like to live behind a facade because it's easier for survival." They were still looking directly at one another and Draco took this opportunity to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. If he couldn't kiss her the way he wanted, the least he could do was touch her somehow. His body craved the intimacy he knew she could provide.

Hermione softened a bit at this action and she began walking towards the coffee shop. "Are you coming?" Draco nodded and aptly followed her as she lead the way. When they got there he bought a coffee for himself and, Hermione noticed, left a generous tip for the young man working behind the counter.


	4. Chapter 4

Draco was walking back to his Slytherin dorms from the Quidditch pitch. Practice had just ended and the sun was beginning to set into a golden sky. A week had passed since Hogsmeade and Draco was thinking about Hermione more often than he ever had. He had almost kissed her right there on the sidewalk, blocks from the parade and the other students.

After the parade he caught up with Blaise who had sent a barrage of questions regarding one Hermione Granger and their evident friendship. Draco didn't tell him about his feelings for the brunette, just that they were study partners and he had a question about an upcoming assignment. He told him that she wasn't as unbearable as she used to be and that they got along fairly well.

Most of Draco's friends growing up knew he was much more soft-hearted than his father, Lucius; however, Draco still had a cold demeanor that kept most people away. He was always caring and loving towards the people closest to him—only then would he truly open up and be himself. And even though Blaise was one of those people, Draco was only human and wasn't quite ready to express his emotions about a girl who had been fighting against him since they first met at Hogwarts. So, he kept his feelings to himself, changed the subject quickly, and Hermione's name wasn't brought up again.

Except when the image of her standing in front of him came into his mind. He was walking to his dorms to shower and then change so he could meet Hermione at the library before curfew. He was currently wondering how he was going to keep sitting next to her without touching her or kissing her. And, when he finally did shower and walk to the library and saw Hermione sitting at her table bitting her lip and writing furiously he couldn't help but pause and notice the burning inside his chest.

He cleared his throat as he walked up to Hermione's table but she didn't budge, not even when he slid a chair out from under the table and called her name. He slammed his books on the table and she finally realized she was not sitting alone.  
Hermione jumped back, clearly startled, and shrieked, "Draco!" She placed her hand on her chest and settled into her chair once more.

"Sorry, I thought you were in a catatonic state. What in Merlin's name are you working on anyway?"

Hermione flipped the cover of her book over and showed Draco. It was her Arithmancy homework. "That assignment isn't do for weeks," he told her.

"I know, but this part of the book is so fascinating I didn't want to wait to work on it. I'm actually almost done, I'm sad to say. Anyway, I'm at a great place for a break. How was practice?"

Draco sat straight in his chair and went on a small rant about how incompetent some of the new players were and how difficult it would be to train them in time for the first match this weekend. Once he realized his voice had gotten louder and he cut himself off. "I'm boring you, aren't I?"

Hermione tilted her head. "No, of course not. I used to listen to Harry and Ron talk Quidditch for hours. Keep going." And he did, until he asked her if she had ever considered playing.

"Absolutely not!" she replied. "I'm not so good on brooms."

"Practice makes perfect. Even I get a little nervous when I'm moving that quickly in the air, but you begin to trust the act of flying. You know the way the air affects you, the way the broom moves against it. Even the way your body reacts."

Hermione was looking intently at Draco, who was speaking with enthusiasm. "I had no idea you could be so passionate," she said with a chuckle. "You make it sound so lovely, but every time I'm on a broom I'm in a state of panic."

"Let me take you flying one day, then. It won't be so bad if I'm controlling it."

"No, no, no. Harry tried that once and I nearly fell off. Thank you, but no thank you."

Draco pursed his lips. "That's because Potter has no idea what he's doing on a broom. I promise if you decide to, I would be extra careful. You would see an aspect of Hogwarts you've never seen before."

Hermione giggled, "Clearly Harry knows what he's doing on a broom—he beat Slytherin in every game!" Draco narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to speak, but Hermione continued. "And sure, one day, I'll let you take me up and show me how wonderful Quidditch can be." Her tone was slightly sarcastic, as if she had no true plan to ever fly with Draco.

Hermione looked at her watch and jumped slightly. "Oh! It's almost curfew! And we haven't studied for anything." She started packing up her books when Draco broke her train of thought.

"Hermione, have you ever been out after curfew?"

She answered hesitantly. "Yes, a few times."

Draco's eyes widened in shock. "A few times?"

Hermione smiled and told him about the countless times Harry, Ron, and she would sneak out for one reason or another. She had her bag packed and stood up.

"I've got to get back to my dorm; I suggest you do the same, Draco." She began walking away and Draco considered begging her to stay, but he watched her walk in the opposite direction.

~ { oOo } ~

The entire walk back to her dorm, Hermione couldn't stop thinking about Harry and Ron. She wrote to them often, but their responses were usually short and cryptic. She wrote Ginny almost every day to have some sort of familial anchor to reality. She missed her friends desperately, especially when she was reminded of her new friendships, and especially the one she sparked with Draco Malfoy.

When he offered to take her up on his broom she was slightly giddy at the thought of holding tightly onto Draco but was also sure she was never going to actually go flying with him. And when she told him "one day" she really meant one day far into the future when he would surely forget. What Hermione didn't know was that Draco had every full intention of taking her on a flight one day over campus, the lake, the nearby mountains. He wanted to take her somewhere she had never been. Of course, Hermione knew none of this.

Hermione walked through the portrait and into the Gryffindor common room which was surprisingly full of students making signs for the upcoming Quidditch match. She walked up to her dorm room and fell onto her soft bed. She fell asleep thinking of home, of Ginny Weasley and her parents, of Draco Malfoy, and of flying.

~ { oOo } ~

It was officially the day of the first Quidditch match of the season and Hermione was sitting in the stands next to Calista who wouldn't stop expressing how cute she thought Draco was.

"Why didn't you tell me you two were friends?" she nearly squealed.

"Well, we aren't really friends, we're… er, partners in Potions and we study together sometimes." Hermione was unsure how to describe her new friendship with Draco. "I guess we're friends," she said as she recalled some of the more open conversations they've had during their study sessions, which were rarely ever just study sessions. They usually ended up talking for an hour or two about whatever topic they were obsessed with that day.

"Don't you think he's gorgeous? I don't know how you can sit next to him in class and not jump his bones."

"He's nice-looking, I suppose." Hermione had never really considered at Draco in that light, but he was quite attractive. His height, build, and aristocratic features made him one of the more attractive males in Hogwarts. "He's brilliant, really, in most of his classes. I'm not sure why he asked me for help with his grades."

"Maybe he likes you," Calista suggested as she gently nudged Hermione.

Hermione scoffed and the grin on Calista's face got wider. "He does not like me, Calista. We despised each other up until this year."

"People can't change?"

Hermione looked for Draco flying in the Quidditch pitch but couldn't find him. "Even if people did change, he would never stoop so low to date someone like me. Trust me, he's told me for years what he thought about me. And even if his upbringing cultivated most of that, he still used that word against me for years."

Calista nudged Hermione again, harder this time to get her attention. "He's looking right at you, Hermione," and nodded her head towards Draco's broom. And, as Hermione looked up to see, she swear he was looking right at her. Could he be, though? Right in the middle of the first Slytherin game.

Hermione shook her head and fell silent, unsure of what was happening. Did Draco Malfoy like her? She thought back to their moment in Hogsmeade when she swear if she hadn't stepped back he would have kissed her. She couldn't deny that she had felt the energy in the air that evening, but she brushed it off as nothing. Hermione grew up with two male friends, she brushed much of their affections off as brotherly, and this was Draco Malfoy she was talking about.

She spent the rest of the match replaying all of their conversations in her mind, wondering if his actions all had hidden meaning. She was so deep in her thoughts she didn't realize the game was over and people were actually exiting the stands. Calista was practically yanking on Hermione's arm to pull her up.

"Hermione, let's go! There's going to be a Ravenclaw afterparty in the Room of Requirement!" and dragged Hermione down the stairs and to the seventh floor. When they walked in the room was large with high ceilings that kept sprinkling large pieces of confetti. It was dark, but lit up with floating lights that changed colors to the music that was playing. Calista led them to the punch bowl and poured two cups, handing one to Hermione who was scanning the room, and downed the other one.

Hermione was surprised at how many people were already here and wondered how many more were to come. She took a sip of her punch and made a face. "What's in this?"

"It's spiked with Firewhiskey. Drink slowly, it's strong." Calista was already walking towards a group of girls she seemed to recognize and left Hermione by the bowl of spiked punch.

Hermione took another sip of her drink and began walking to the opposite side of the room, where she thought she saw a bathroom. It was completely empty so she set her drink down on the sink and stared at herself. She didn't normally drink and could feel the alcohol affecting her after only drinking half of what Calista had poured for her. She looked herself in the eye and thought, "Let go." So she took her cup and tilted it until the remaining contents slid down her throat. She felt her face getting red and left the bathroom to pour another glass.

As Hermione approached the table she looked around for Calista but couldn't find her. She assumed she was buried in the middle of the crowd of people, dancing, probably. She poured herself another glass of whatever was in the punch bowl and turned around, bumping into Michael Debilicus who was flirting with a girl whose shirt was so low cut Hermione wondered why the girl bothered to wear a shirt at all. Michael turned around to face Hermione.

"Why, hello there, darling," he slurred, clearly drunk.

Hermione muttered a quick hello and spun around to walk away, but Michael reached for her wrist and pulled her back. "You can't leave without toasting me, darling." He lifted his cup into the air, waiting for Hermione to do the same. When she did he tapped her cup and took a large sip from his cup. Hermione took a small sip and stepped away.

"Wait, darling, just one drink with me, eh?" Hermione shook her head and rolled her eyes inwardly at how obnoxious the guy in front of her was acting. She drank the contents of her cup and set her cup on the table.

"There," she said before speeding off into the crowd. She walked towards the exit, weaving in and out of the crowd in case Michael was following her. When she made it out of the Room of Requirement and into the hallway she leaned against the wall and realized just how intoxicated she was. She gathered her strength and set off towards the Gryffindor common room when she saw a cat sauntering in the hallway in front of her, which meant Filch would be rounding the corner any second.

"Hermione," she heard someone whisper and turned around to find the source. It was Draco. When she didn't move, he went up to her and put his hand on her back to guide her down another hallway.

"Draco," Hermione finally responded once they were in the opposite direction of Filch. Her limbs felt weak and her head felt hot. "Were you at the party?"

Draco looked surprised. "I didn't know there was a party going on, but I'm guessing that's where you were." He could smell the Firewhiskey on her breath. His hand was still on her back. "Let's get you back to your dorm, shall we?"

"Why are you on the seventh floor, Draco?"

"I couldn't sleep and I definitely couldn't stand being in the Slytherin common room with those idiots." Hermione knew he was referring to his teammates. "Did you go to the party alone?"

Hermione shook her head no, then immediately stopped shaking her head when it made her dizzy. "I was with Calista but she disappeared. Then I saw Michael, he's a rightly git, that one."

"Did he try something, Hermione?" Draco stopped walking and turned to face her. His voice was serious and his brow was furrowed.

Hermione smiled. "No, he didn't. He wanted to have a drink with me so I chugged my punch and walked out. That's when you found me in the hallway."

Draco seemed to relax a bit and continued walking with both hands to himself.

Hermione was sure it was the liquid courage pouring through her veins, but she couldn't help herself from asking Draco the question that had plagued her mind since the Quidditch match earlier. "Draco, do you like me?"

"Of course, I like you, Hermione. Why wouldn't I?"

She shook her head again, softly this time. "That's not what I mean."

Draco was silent, going through responses in his head. He could be honest or he could deny it. He knew Hermione was drunk and may very well forget this entire conversation happened, so he decided to answer truthfully.

"Yes, Hermione, I do. I have for a while now." He looked at her and she was staring back at him, lips parted slightly, hair falling into her face.

This time it was her who stopped walking. She looked at Draco, really looked at him, and saw his infatuation in his eyes. She had to admit, he was indeed quite a gorgeous man. She took a step closer. "Were you going to kiss me in Hogsmeade?"

Draco was shocked at her boldness. He knew it was from the Firewhiskey, but he had to remind himself this conversation was actually happening. "Yes," he said simply. No sooner than the words came out of his mouth did he find himself kissing Hermione Granger, who closed the distance and placed a sweet, innocent kiss on his lips. She took a step back to look at him.

Draco placed a hand on her face and brought her close again, reaching down to kiss her deeply, yet so softly. He placed his other hand on her waist to steady her.

Hermione kissed him back with as much desire and brought her hands to his back. He felt good, warm, solid. His body kept her grounded as the alcohol, and the passion from the kiss, made her feel as though she would float right up to the ceiling and stay there until he pulled her back down. When the kiss finally ended, all they could do was stare at one another.

"What now?" Hermione asked. Draco reached for hand and continued walking towards her common room.

"We get you to bed and you'll wake up in the morning and tell me how much of tonight you can actually recall," he said with a grin.

They walked the rest of the way with their hands clasped in the silence of the school. When they got close to the portrait Draco brought Hermione to him for another kiss, this one quicker than the last. "Good night, Draco," Hermione said before turning and disappearing into her common room. It was a good night, indeed.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: This is the shortest chapter I've written, and probably my favorite thus far. Will update with another chapter soon!**

And it turned out Hermione remembered everything. She woke up the next morning with groggy thoughts of the look in Draco's eyes after their first kiss. Her heart felt so full it began to ache, and as she placed her hand on her chest she whispered his name softly into the morning air. She rolled over and saw her bunkmates asleep and quietly rolled out of bed to get dressed, a smile decorating her face all the while.

As she strolled to the Great Hall she questioned what this meant for Draco and her. Would they date? Would they be a secret? Would she tell Ginny? Harry and Ron? Did she even want a boyfriend? No, but she wanted to feel Draco's lips against her own again, and very soon. She pictured his strong arms stabilizing her as she leaned into him and a shiver went down her spine.

Hermione suddenly remembered being younger and hoping that this exact feeling existed outside of the books she read. They were all telling the truth. The uncertainty, the excitement, it was all so very true. When she arrived at the Great Hall Hermione spotted Calista and decided perhaps she should keep things a secret until she and Draco discussed the events of the previous night. She gathered herself and tried to tame her emotions lest they spill out and cover her face.

She walked up to Calista and with a chipper "Good morning!" she sat down next to her friend.

"Good morning, Hermione," Calista responded. "What happened to you last night? I tried to find you, but everyone said you'd left."

"Oh, I ran into Michael and left shortly after." It wasn't a lie, just not the whole truth, Hermione justified. She would tell her friend when the time was right. Calista accepted her answer and recounted her own night to Hermione.

She felt him looking at her before she saw him, and when she finally did lock eyes with Draco across the room she could no longer keep up with Calista's story. She blushed and looked away immediately. Is he still looking? She checked and blushed even harder. She turned her attention back to Calista. "Could you say that again?"

"Whoa, Hermione, why is your face so red?"

"I just—it's so hot in here, isn't it? I think I need some air." She told her friend goodbye and stood up to walk out of the Great Hall, but not before looking once more to Draco who was watching her intensely from his seat at the Slytherin table.

Hermione stepped out into the hall and started towards one of the nearby courtyards, thinking perhaps she could kill time before her next class with a book. She down under one of the arches and pulled her book out, searching for the page she had bookmarked when she heard her name. Hermione turned to entrance and saw Draco walking closer to her. She sat up straighter and tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear.

"Oh, hello, Draco," she said, her stomach turning and flipping.

Draco moved to sit next to her. "Oh, hello, Hermione." She could feel him looking at her so she looked up at him. "Your face is still pink," he said with a chuckle. "I could see you blushing from across the Great Hall."

Hermione lifted the book in her hands to hide her face. He pulled it back down gently. "So you remember it, then?" he asked her.

She nodded and opened her mouth to speak, but what could she say? She wasn't exactly experienced in the boy area, save for Ron and Viktor, but they never made her feel so unraveled. "I remember it," Hermione said in confirmation.

They stared at one another in silence. Hermione could feel the tension building and knew she should do something or say something. She closed the book that was still sitting in her lap and placed it aside. She mustered her Gryffindor courage and moved closer to Draco, not considering for a moment that another student could walk past and catch them sharing an intimate moment. Her knee was touching his thigh and she swore her skin felt electric in the spot where their bodies touched. She relaxed her leg so her knee would push deeper into him, and she looked into his eyes, looking for approval. Draco placed a hand on her knee and slowly leaned in for a kiss, not wanting to startle Hermione but also wanting so desperately to kiss her again. Hermione kissed him back, much harder, and it broke the dam, washing away any sense of modesty. They kissed urgently, the hand on Hermione's knee moving to her long waves where Draco's other hand was already resting. Hermione pulled back slightly, dizzy from the contact. "How are you so good at that?"

Draco laughed and placed a kiss on her forehead. "Lots of practice," he said with a wink and stood up. Hermione followed suit and picked up her book, remembering suddenly that she still had classes to attend.

"I think I need to get to class." She smoothed down her skirt and ran her fingers through the strands of hair that were wrapped around Draco's hands. "Do you still want to meet this afternoon?"

"Yes, I'll see you in the library after last class." Hermione smiled and nodded and turned to get to class, but not before Draco grabbed her wrist and pulled her back to him for one final kiss. "Or perhaps we should just meet here," he said with a grin.

Hermione rolled her eyes and told him goodbye, "Seriously this time, I've got to get to class," and he watched her leave before heading to his own class.

~ { oOo } ~

Later that afternoon, Hermione and Draco met in a corner of the library that few people actually knew about. Draco had been looking forward to this all day. He couldn't believe that Hermione was reciprocating the feelings he'd had for her for years. It was like his father's incarceration released all the repressed feelings and thoughts Draco had had growing up and he was finally able to nurture them. And, as he began spending more time with Hermione his feelings towards her grew.

The question that always seemed to linger around the thought of Hermione, though, was one about how accepting everyone else in the world would be of them. As far as anyone else knew, Draco and Hermione despised one another; how were they going to be together publicly in a world that was still recovering from Voldemort's demise? I mean, let's face it, no matter how changed Draco currently was from the youthful ideologies he shared with the Dark Lord, he still not too long ago fought for a side that would have caused an entire genocide of muggle-born witches and wizards.

These thoughts plagued Draco's mind for months, possibly even years if he wanted to be honest with himself. Because at the end of the day, if it wasn't for Harry Potter or Dumbledore or any of the countless people fighting for the Light side, Draco would have been forced to kill people that he didn't want to harm regardless of how he truly felt. He hoped and prayed to a God he didn't think existed that Hermione understood the anguish he felt towards the life that had been planned for him, the life that he barely escaped.

Draco wouldn't admit this to Hermione, but no matter how many sweet, intimate moments they shared, he still had this nagging fear that she would snap out of infatuation and return to being disgusted by his mere presence. Surely this couldn't happen, right?

Draco and Hermione were sitting a table with not a single book open before them. Tonight was not a night for schoolwork. They were sitting across from each other and Draco watched as Hermione tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Does she always do that when she's nervous? "How were your classes today?" he asked her.

She nodded her head. "They weren't so bad. It's still a bit difficult sometimes to jump back in my old rhythm but I feel it coming back every day. How about yours?"

He looked at her and channeled his boldness. "I thought about you a lot."

She looked down and tucked her hair behind her ear again.

Draco gave a soft chuckle and continued looking at her. He didn't mean to be so intense, but he knew what he felt for her and he didn't want to hide anymore, especially now that they were making moves. "What do you think about it all?"

"I think I like kissing you. I enjoy being around you more than I ever thought I would. 14 year old Hermione would die if she knew one day she'd be snogging Draco Malfoy in the school courtyard," she giggled. "How did this happen, Draco?" She looked at him with probing eyes, needing the information that would fill in the blanks in her mind.

He sat for a moment, and Hermione wondered if he thought this was a rhetorical question. She opened her mouth to speak, but he spoke first. "Do you remember in third year when you hit me? We were outside and I made some lame comment to you and you actually hit me across the face. I couldn't believe it! Nobody hits a Malfoy! Except you, of course." Hermione was laughing, shocked and red in the face at this recollection. "And in that moment, as embarrassed as I was, I recognized that you were the only person who wasn't afraid of me. You're the only girl who has ever challenged me, stood up to me. And I never looked at you the same after that."

Hermione was quiet, her mind clearly going over this admission. She thought back to all the moments after that when Harry was convinced Draco was on the wrong side and Hermione was convinced that he wasn't. Perhaps they had been both been right. Perhaps there was a side to Draco that she never knew existed. Did anyone know this side of I'm existed?

"How about you, Hermione? When did this start for you?"

"On the train," she said immediately, like she'd been thinking about this before. "You were sitting alone, but you didn't look sad. You looked lighter, like something had been lifted off of you. I came back to Hogwarts to escape all the heaviness weighing on the people that I loved. I just couldn't bear to be a part of it anymore."

"You were ready to shed your past."

Hermione nodded and reached her hand out to rest on Draco's. "There is something I need to you hear, Draco. Something I really need you to understand. That day when we were captured and brought back to your manor, you lied about our identities. You saved us, or at least you stalled the inevitable so we could save ourselves. And when you did that, I realized that all of the hurtful things you said to us during school was all an act, a joke. You said things to people to push them away so they wouldn't get too close to you, but you didn't actually want to hurt anyone. You didn't want us dead, you wanted the rebellion as badly as we did, and it's why we testified for you and your mother. I want you to know that I don't think you're a murderer; I think you're a survivalist, and there's a big difference."

She tightened her grip around Draco's hand and let the words resonate with him. It was everything he needed to hear to settle his doubts. How is it that Hermione Granger, his sworn nemesis, could see through him better than any of his friends ever did? Draco brought her hand up to his mouth and pressed his lips against the back of her hand. "Let's get out of here, Granger," and he stood up, their hands still connected. She followed him and they walked out of the library, hand in hand, in complete silence.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: So sorry for any typos! Also realizing this fanfic may be a bit OOC. I hope it isn't too bad though? Huge thanks to everyone following and favoriting this story. I can't believe this many people have even bothered reading this! It means so much xx**

Draco led them to the astronomy tower where they could be secluded from the rest of the school. They were missing dinner, but Draco couldn't wrap his mind around anything other than the conversation he and Hermione just shared. They were standing in the middle of the room and Draco's hands found their place on Hermione's hips while she rested her hands on his shoulders.

"Are we really going to do this?" she asked him.

"I don't know if we have a choice anymore." His hands travelled up her back and down her arms. The contact felt addictive and Hermione shifted her body closer to Draco.

They were already too far gone. The words they've shared, the kisses, the touches… Draco and Hermione couldn't walk away from one another even if they tried. It was as if the world had been moving them in the same direction all this time, just waiting for the moment they would collide.

He kissed her temple. "Do you think you'll tell your friends?"

"I suppose they'll find out when the time is right. It's all so new, I don't want to include too many people. What if we don't—" she cut herself off.

"What if we don't what? Work out? Then we go back to being friends, simple as that."

Hermione rested her head on his chest and they began swaying to music they couldn't hear. She kissed his chest, his neck, his chin, before pulling away to look at his face. He was so handsome it hurt. She kissed his lips and her worries escaped her.

She had never felt so open and vulnerable around another human being. Even though this was only day two of their romance, Hermione felt an overwhelming sense of intuition that told her this was the right thing to do. She wasn't waiting to tell her friends out of fear of what they'd say; no, she was waiting because she wanted to be selfish for once. She wanted to share this only with Draco.

He wrapped his arms around her tightly and they continued moving as one while the sun set gently over the horizon. A pink-orange glow settled over them and illuminated their movements. It was the most magical thing Hermione had ever experienced with another human being. She felt her heart swelling in her chest up to her throat. Was she still breathing? Were those tears? She wiped at her eyes and felt nothing.

Draco let his arms fall from her body and conjured a few blankets for them so sit on. He pulled Hermione down with him and they sat and watched the color drain from the sky and turn into darkness. The stars shone bright as if they were celebrating Hermione and Draco's romance. Hermione was now sitting against Draco, their bodies becoming more intertwined as the minutes passed until the last thing Hermione could remember was the feeling of his heart beating against her own chest.

~ { oOo } ~

"Draco, wake up!" Hermione nearly screeched as she shook Draco even harder. "Draco, we're going to miss our classes!"

Draco rolled over onto his back and yawned. He mumbled something unintelligible and reached out to grab Hermione, but she slapped his hand away. "If you wake up I'll give you as many kisses as you want."

"But aren't you worried about missing class?"

Hermione playfully hit his arm. "If we are both late to class people are going to ask questions."

He sat up and rubbed at his eyes before a giant yawn escaped his mouth. "Let them talk. Besides, anything they say would just be a rumor at this point."

From the look on her face, Draco knew there was no convincing her to sleep in. He stood up and looked down at his wrinkled robes. Before he could cast a spell to smooth them down, Hermione pointed her wand to his pants and the wrinkles and creases disappeared. "Thanks, Hermione," he said with a satisfied smile. He yawned again, then walked over to where Hermione was standing. "Do you even remember falling asleep?"

"Not a bit. I think those blankets were more comfortable than they looked." She smiled and kissed him softly on the cheek. "Shall we go downstairs?"

Draco reached out a hand and they began the descent to the classrooms. As they drew nearer to the crowds of students Hermione released Draco's hand but continued walking next to him. Their first class of the day was Potions and Hermione was happy to have a class with Draco after the evening they had had.  
Of course, all through class the two of them had at least one body part touching: arms, thighs, hands. Hermione tried focusing on the lesson, but sometimes even the best of us turn into mush over a guy. She instead spent the majority of the class daydreaming about traveling the world with Draco. She pictured them exploring the temples in Thailand and the mountains in Nepal. She wondered how he would look shirtless on a beach in Greece and blushed ferociously.

Once class was finally over, Draco told her he had Quidditch practice that evening and asked if she could meet him at the astronomy tower afterwards. Without hesitation she answered yes and they went their opposite ways. She knew it would be after curfew by the time they were due to meet one another, but she was willing to make the sacrifice.

Besides, there was still a part of Hermione that was forever changed. Coming back to Hogwarts wasn't the answer to finding herself again. She thought perhaps the school would ground her and give her room to reacquaint the new Hermione with the old one, but none of that has happened. Sure, she's on time to her classes and she's still making the highest marks on her coursework, but she's not exactly taking school as seriously as she hoped she would. Fortunately for Hermione, she didn't need three weeks to research and write a paper like her classmates; she just needed a couple of days.

In the back of her mind she thought of the Weasleys and how they were recovering. She still wrote to Ginny every few days and knew that Ginny was doing better. So much better, in fact, that she was considering moving out of her parent's house and into Harry's flat in the city. Hermione told her she should do what's best for her, but to make sure Molly and Arthur were in a state of independence before she left. The last time she was at The Burrow Molly could hardly feed herself, Arthur was putting all of his energy into fixing old cars, and Fred had moved into the joke shop that was temporarily closed. Ginny often chose not to discuss her family too much in these letters because it hurt her so greatly to watch her family falling apart. And the worst part is that she was the one to pick up the pieces even though she was just as heartbroken.

And, like Hermione, Ginny knew that it was time to get out. But can you ever really get out? Can you escape your heartbreak by escaping the home in which the heartbreak happened? Hermione was starting to convince herself that there was no escape until she and Draco became romantic interests. Opening herself up to him was like opening herself up to life. She knew things were moving quickly and intensely, but it offered her hope. Draco gave her something else to care about, to obsess about, to hope for. She thought about the future again, a future in which Draco was by her side and the Weasleys were fully functional.  
If Ginny's moving out of The Burrow would lend a similar experience, Hermione was supportive. And yet she still felt a nagging inside of her at the thought of her second family being left alone to fester in a home filled with emotional debris. Winter breaks was a couple of months away, but she wondered if she should visit some time before then. Would she bring Draco?

When Hermione got back to her common room she pulled out a sheet of parchment paper from her book and began drafting a letter to Ginny telling her how much she missed her and that she would love to visit soon if possible and that she had something extraordinary to tell her but only in person. She was shaky with nerves, but she knew the "right time" for her friend to know was approaching soon. She rolled up her letter and was off to the Owlery.

~ { oOo } ~

Draco was feeling confident after Quidditch practice. The once incompetent members of his team had been practicing hard every week and they were finally on a winning streak. And, he's So, as he walked up the multiple staircases to the astronomy tower, Draco's spirits were high. When he arrived he noticed Hermione had already made a pallet out of thick blankets and pillows and was sitting cross legged with a book in her hands. She wasn't looking at her book, though; instead, she was staring out at the sky. The sun was almost completely set and the stars were beginning to shine a little brighter.

He sat down next to her. "The view from here is magnificent, isn't it?"

"It truly is. I don't know why I didn't take more astronomy classes."

"You only need enough to cover basics. Plus, it's not like anyone knows the answers to the mysteries of the universe. I actually think more astronomy classes would have driven you crazy," he teased.

Hermione smiled and nudged his arm playfully. "It's kind of nice not having the answer sometimes—you can make your own."

"What answers have you come up with?"

Hermione was quiet for a moment then turned her body towards Draco and began speaking. "I think that there are other beings out there somewhere in this infinite universe. I also think that when we die we become stars and just watch over the world. I like to think that if I look hard enough, somewhere in that sky I'd find Lupin, Tonks, Fred… It's silly, though, isn't? Of course that's not how it works."

"Who says it isn't? No one knows."

Hermione shifted her body so her head was resting on Draco's shoulder, and Draco wrapped his arm around her body so they fit like puzzle pieces.

"I like our new meeting spot better."

"Wow, I'm shocked. I didn't think you liked anything more than the library."

"It's not like we even did our school work when we met there! I was always too distracted."

Draco's face broke out into a grin. "I distracted you, eh?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Oh, hush. You know what I mean."

"You have a crush on me, Hermione Granger!"

"I think that's already been established," Hermione responded, and kissed him deeply. "But I don't know that we should sleep here a second night in a row. I'm not sure the world needs to know about us. At least, not until I tell my friends."

"But who will I sleep next to for warmth?"

"Perhaps one of your bunkmates will be willing, hm?" They were lying down on their backs now, and Hermione silently wondered the same thing. The warmth that radiated from Draco's body when they were near one another was altogether comforting and stimulating. Still, until she talked to Ginny and told the boys about her most recent romantic development, she wanted to keep things secret. The last thing she wanted was for her friends to find out from someone else that she is currently seeing their sworn enemy.

"On the topic of telling friends: I wrote Ginny asking if I could visit this weekend, and she told me Ron and Harry would be in town, so I think this is as good a time as any. I want to bring you along, but I think it may be best for me to talk to them first and then bring you around on the next visit. If you want, of course."

"As long as I'm welcome. I don't want you to force anything; I know not everyone is as understanding of my situation as you are."

Hermione kissed Draco once more. "They'll love you in no time!"

The two of them held each other a bit longer before departing and sneaking back to their common rooms.

~ { oOo } ~

It was finally Friday and Hermione couldn't wait to get to The Burrow. She and Draco had walked to Hogsmeade so he could see her off and kiss her one last time before the end of the weekend. After she finally apparated to her destination, Hermione noticed a dull ache in her chest. She was surprised at herself for already missing Draco considering they've only been seeing each other romantically for about a week now. Then again, he has been one of her closest friends at Hogwarts since she came back to school, so it made sense that she would miss his calming presence.

Hermione was in the yard looking up at the house in front of her. Inside she would find a group of people that she considered family for the past few years. What state of disarray would they be in? She hoped they had gotten better but worried they had gotten worse. What if they didn't understand Hermione's feelings? How would she make it out of this?

She began walking to the door and as she raised her hand to knock on the door, she whispered, "Wish me luck," to no one in particular.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: In the last chapter I suggested Fred was alive and well when I mentioned The Burrow and the Weasleys, but that was an unfortunate typo. George is the twin that moved into the old joke shop. Also, a great huge thanks to everyone who has followed, liked, reviewed, and read my story! It means a great deal to me. I apologize for not updating more often~~

"Hermione!" Ginny shrieked as she ran toward her best friend. The two girls engaged in a long hug before releasing. "I missed you so much! How are your classes? How is Hogwarts? Who else is back in school?"  
Hermione chuckled. "Not too many people from my year, but I recognize a few people." Hermione blushed a little before continuing. "And school is wonderful, though it will truly never be the same.  
"Where are Ron and Harry?" Hermione asked.  
"Oh, they're outside playing Quidditch."  
"And you're inside?" Hermione said with a grin.  
Ginny nodded toward the stove. "I wanted to make you something special for your visit. Vegetable soup made with vegetables from our garden, I swear you'll love it. I'm going to finish up in here, but you should go say hello to the boys—they've been antsy since I told them you were coming."  
Hermione gave her friend's hand a squeeze and stepped out into the backyard. She didn't see either of the boys but could hear them zooming through the sky. And then she saw two dark figures flying towards her and her face broke into a grin. "Harry! Ron!"  
Ron landed first and ran towards Hermione, then came Harry who joined into one large group hug. Hermione felt pure bliss being with her friends at The Burrow. Ron's hair was longer and pulled back into a small ponytail and his face looked older. So did Harry's, honestly, but Ron looked like he was recovering from a visit to Hell. She was quickly reminded of their past.  
The trio sat down in the grass outside and caught up on life and work and school. Hermione asked if she could see Harry's apartment and Ron asked if Hermione was still the top student.  
About an hour later Ginny called them inside to eat, and that's when Hermione finally saw Molly lying on the couch as if in a catatonic state. Hermione thought it strange when she saw Ginny cooking and not Mrs. Weasley but she didn't question it immediately. Now she understood why the roles had changed. Mr. Weasley was sitting near Molly's feet, gently persuading her to stand up and join us at the table for dinner. Molly said nothing, though, just kept staring at the picture of Fred hanging on the wall opposite her.  
Hermione turned away, not wanting to stare at the woman she considered a second mother. She sat down next to Ron on one side of the table and watched as Ginny and Harry settled in across from them. Hermione leaned in and whispered to Ron, "How long has she been like that?"  
Ron shrugged. "For about a month and a half, I'd say. Dad's been feeding her at mealtimes." He spooned some of the soup into his bowl and passed the soup to Hermione.  
She couldn't deny how delicious it smelled, but she suddenly felt overwhelmingly guilty about eating her meal while Molly lay in silence only a room over. She took a little bit and continued to pass the soup around the table.  
Once they began eating the awkward silence at the table dissipated and it was easier to carry on a conversation. Hermione couldn't stop thinking about Draco and how this was probably the worst time to bring her relationship up to her friends. But would the time ever be right? She kept eating her soup, which truly was magnificent, and wondering if she should just blurt out her secret. Tomorrow night, she decided. She didn't want to ruin her first night with her friends.  
After dinner Harry offered everyone a drink for dessert and they went upstairs to Ginny's room. And that's when the real conversations started, the honest ones that you hold onto until you're in complete privacy. "Hermione, what do you think you'll do once your classes are over?"  
Hermione was quiet a moment, trying to think of an answer, but she didn't have one. "I haven't given it much thought, I suppose. Perhaps teaching." Her brows furrowed at her lack of a response. How could she not know?  
"Do you think you'll ever go back to school?" Ginny immediately shook her head no.  
"I've already talked to Harry and I think we'll be moving in together once George moves back. Afterwards… I dunno, I'll find a job doing something that makes me happy." She smiled at Harry and he rested his hand on her knee.  
"Oh, wow, I didn't realize George was moving back to The Burrow."  
Ron had just finished his glass of fire whiskey and was pouring more. "Once dad told him about mum he decided to move back to help her. He felt bad pushing his responsibilities off on Ginny. Honestly, I do too." He looked up at Ginny and frowned, but Ginny shook her head no.  
"Ron, we've been through this a million times. You have a career! And I was still uncertain about whether or not I was going back to Hogwarts with Hermione."  
Hermione's mind drifted back to that afternoon at The Burrow when they received their Hogwarts letters for the new term. The Burrow definitely felt more alive now than it did then, but it was nowhere near what it was years prior. Life was moving quickly and everyone seemed to be on their own path. Was Draco her next great adventure? Would they move in together after Hogwarts? Would they make it that long?  
Harry saw Hermione's brain working in over-time. "What are you thinking about, Hermione?"  
She smiled and took a sip of her drink. "Just how different our lives are." Is this the moment? She could feel the fire whiskey numbing her nerves so she took a deep breath and began speaking. "I actually have been seeing someone." She finished her glass and set it on the floor in front of her.  
Ginny's eyes got wide. "Who? Hermione, why didn't you say something sooner!" She was leaning forward, clearly interested in this bit of information. The answer made Hermione's head buzz—or was that the alcohol?  
"You know him, he was in our year," she looked at Harry and then Ron.  
"Are you going to make us guess?" Ron chuckled.  
Hermione reached for the bottle of fire whiskey next to Harry. "Maybe we should all pour another glass first," and she unscrewed the top of the bottle and began pouring the liquid into everyone's cup. "Cheers!"  
Before Harry drank anything from his glass he furrowed his brow, wondering why Hermione was so hesitant to tell them who she'd been spending her time with. Was it someone from Slytherin?  
"Harry—"  
"Is it someone from Slytherin, Hermione?" Harry's serious voice had cut her off. She was taken aback. He knows, she thought.  
She nodded her head.  
"Who is it?" Ron asked her. Her stomach started to knot up. "Who is it, Hermione?" Ron's voice was growing more angry. Ginny set her glass down and waited for a response.  
"Draco Malfoy," she finally admitted. "I know how it sounds—"  
Ron slammed his glass down on the floor and stood up. "Are you bloody mad, Hermione? What, did he slip you something?"  
"Of course not, Ron! How could you even suggest something like that?"  
"Then how did this happen?" Harry started. "How did you of all people end up falling for an ex-Death Eater?"  
"Harry, you were there for his trial, you heard what he said; he never wanted to be a Death Eater, he was forced into it. His whole life was a facade." Hermione's voice had grown soft and her eyes were cast down. She could hear Ron pacing around the room, while Ginny scooted closer to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.  
Ron finally stopped pacing the room and looked at Hermione. "How long has this been going on?"  
"We've been friends since the start of the term, but we just started dating. We wanted you to hear it from me before word got out."  
"'We', huh? As if he actually cares."  
"Ronald Weasley, why are you so upset by this?" "Because, Hermione, after the war it was supposed to be me and you. But you weren't ready, you said the timing wasn't right and that we needed to focus on ourselves for a bit. So I started Auror training and I waited for you—I've been waiting for you. How could you expect me to be gung-ho about you dating Draco Malfoy, the boy who made our lives Hell?" He turned away from the group and stood there, silent. Hermione felt like she had been slapped.  
Honestly, she hadn't planned on dating anyone this term. She was at Hogwarts to feel normal again, to finish schooling and move on with her life. She knew Ron had been waiting, but she also figured that at some point he would find someone new and forget about the relationship they could have had. And she still didn't think this was the right time, but you can't help who you love. Love? Did Hermione love Draco?  
"Ron, ple—"  
"I think I'll be heading back to the city. Thanks for dinner, Ginny." And with that, Ronald Weasley walked out. Harry, Ginny, and Hermione were silent as they listened to Ron's heavy footsteps retreat down the stairs and through the house. Hermione spoke first.  
"I'm so sorry, you guys, I didn't think… Draco just happened." Hermione shook her head and stood up. "I think I should get going also."  
Ginny shot up from the floor and gently reached for Hermione's arm. "Hermione, please stay. Don't let Ron's reaction keep you from enjoying the rest of your weekend. We love you and support whatever you decide to do. We both know that you can't help who you have feelings for."  
It was wonderful to hear someone be on her side, and she wondered how the rest of the world would react to her relationship with Draco Malfoy. Not that anyone else's opinion would ever matter, but it would definitely affect their dynamic and the way they move about in the world. Especially now that Voldemort was defeated and the systematic oppression of muggle-borns and halfbloods would not be tolerated by the Ministry of Magic.  
"No, really, Ginny, I think I just need to be alone right now. Thank you for everything, though, dinner was perfect. I love you dearly." She leaned into Ginny for a hug and then Harry after, and began the descent to the front yard where she would apparate back to Hogsmeade and walk the rest of the distance to Hogwarts. Her head was spinning from the argument with one of her oldest friends and she had no idea what she was feeling at the moment. She did know, however, that her feelings toward Draco were stronger than she could have ever imagined.

~ { oOo } ~

It was almost midnight by the time Hermione reached Hogsmeade and she wondered if she would be able to sneak her way into Hogwarts this late. She pulled out her wand and cast a Patronus that would be sent to Draco with an urgent message. Coming back early, meet me in Hogsmeade. She kept walking and passed by the coffee shop she and Draco stopped in when they began hanging out months ago. How did this become her life? How did she transition from the person who cursed Malfoy's existence to the person he slept next to in the astronomy tower?  
She checked her watch. 12:23. When she looked back up she saw that blonde head of hair and her heart rate sped up.

~ { oOo } ~

Draco was lying on a pile of blankets in the astronomy tower wondering how on Earth Hermione Granger made him feel this sappy and pathetic. He missed her already and she had only been gone for half the day. It's not like they would have spent that entire day together but it was something about knowing she was unavailable to see or touch or kiss that kept his heart aching slightly.  
Draco had honestly never felt this way about another person ever. He had dated girls—and women—but things never got this serious. He was always so selfish, worrying more about keeping up his appearances as the son of a Death Eater instead of chasing after beautiful females in the hopes of having a girl he could call his girlfriend. But Hermione was different and he couldn't exactly place why. Perhaps because she's the only person who took the time to understand him. It's like he could feel her understanding of him, like she knew him, knew him to his core without having all the information.  
In the middle of these thoughts he saw Hermione's Patronus floating in front of him. He accio'd his broom and set off to find her. Once he touched ground in the general vicinity, he headed towards the coffee shop and was greeted by Hermione's long brown waves blowing in the wind. Her face was fallen and her body dragged as she walked.  
"Hermione!" he yelled and sped up his pace to reach her quicker. He enveloped her in a hug that she refused to release, prompting him to ask her how her visit went.  
She shook her head. "Harry and Ginny were… more understanding than Ron. He left."  
Draco kissed the top of her head and rested his hand on the small of her back, guiding her back in the direction of Hogwarts. "I brought my broom…" he said to her with a small smile.  
"Oh, no, not tonight, Draco."  
"If not now, then when? No one's around, it's just you and me, and the sky is completely clear right now. Best weather for flying."  
Hermione thought about it for a moment before imagining herself speeding through the sky on a stick. Draco mounted his broom and reached for hand. "Come on, I won't let anything happen to you." At her hesitance he added, "I'll even go slow."  
And with a roll of her eyes, Hermione slipped one leg over the broom and sat as close to Draco's body as humanly possible and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist.  
"Ready?" he asked. She nodded in response and felt Draco leading the broom forward and upward, slowly but steadily. Before she knew it they were flying above the streets of Hogsmeade and all the wizards and witches down below looked like tiny insects. Draco was picking up speed and dipped down low near the tops of the trees, so close Hermione felt like she could reach out and snap off a few leaves.  
Finally they were nearing Hogwarts and Hermione could see how grandiose the castle was from this angle. She released a giggle that turned into a scream as they dropped down low again, soaring through corridors and back up through an opening that brought them back above the school. Hermione remembered Draco promising her views of Hogwarts that she had never before seen, and he was right. Draco slowed down and turned a corner and before they knew it they were already reaching the astronomy tower, their new favorite place to be. His feet touched ground and he steadied himself before allowing Hermione to step over the broom and settle onto solid ground.  
She swayed a bit and leaned against the railing of the tower, still comprehending what tiny adventure she had just been on. "So what do you think about flying now?" Draco asked with a chuckle.  
Hermione smiled widely back at him. "Under the right circumstances and conditions, I think it's acceptable."  
"Oh, wow, look at that," he teased. "A convert." He set his broom against the railing and sat down on the blankets he'd set up earlier. Hermione sat down next to him and for a moment they sat quietly and looked out at the night sky.  
"Draco, where do you see yourself after school?"  
He paused and thought about her question. He couldn't remember the last time he was asked that question, he was so used to having his life planned out for him. "I don't really know. I suppose I'd like to help people somehow now that I have the option. I want an honest life, whatever that means. I don't want to lie and scheme to get what I want, you know?"  
Hermione nodded. "Maybe you could teach and shape the minds of our youth. I think you would be extraordinary at that."  
"Er, maybe. I wouldn't exactly mind traveling and seeing the world before settling down. What about you? Where do you see yourself?"  
"I see myself working for the Ministry making positive changes in the world. I want to make sure nothing like that war ever happens again." Hermione reached for Draco's hand and he pulled her into his chest so her head was nuzzled into his neck. "Draco, I don't know how this happened or why, and I know it's happening so fast, but I think I love you. It's okay if you can't say it back, it's just… after the war I feel like my time is constantly fleeting, and if anything were to happen to me I would want desperately for you to know that this isn't something I'm considering lightly."  
Draco looked at Hermione's face and moved towards her as if he were going to kiss her. "I love you, too." He rested a hand against her left cheek and brought her closer for a sweet, gentle kiss filled with desire. Hermione's hands reached behind him and grabbed at his shirt.  
"My friends know," Hermione whispered in between kisses. "We don't have to hide anymore."  
"At this point, even if they didn't know, I'm not sure we could hide this any longer." Draco pulled away from Hermione's lips. "You asked me where I see myself after school, and I see myself with you, I swear it."  
Hermione closed her eyes and a tear fell down her cheek. "Draco, is this real?"  
"It's the realest thing I've ever felt." And he continued kissing her until he felt a hand slide over the zipper of his pants.  
He pulled back to look at her. She looked him square in the eye and let her hand wander once again over the zipper, this time pulling down slowly. He slid his hands under her shirt and lifted up until the fabric was scrunched at her neck. Hermione leaned forward and she was shirtless except for the pink bra that hugged her torso. Hermione tugged at his pants and soon they were both lying semi-naked underneath the stars.  
Draco knew they were moving quickly, so quickly, but they were both falling hard and fast and there was nothing they could do to slow their feelings down. They were in love. There was some dormant passion that resided within both of them for all these years and something about the actions of the war and the truth that followed that resonated with the two teenagers and sent them catapulting into a world full of desire.  
But Draco had fooled around with women before, he knew the way their bodies reacted to his touch, and he knew exactly what he needed to do to elicit the response he wanted. He knew what desire and lust felt like, and what he had with Hermione was similar but not identical. With Hermione it wasn't just about arousal, it was about sharing this moment, his body, his feelings with another human being that wanted to protect him as much as he wanted to protect her. He would do anything for Hermione, and he knew being intimate was only going to seal this.  
"Do you really want to do this, Hermione? We can wait if you'd like."  
Hermione shook her head no. "I'm not afraid, Draco. I want you to feel just how much I love you." She wrapped her legs around his waist and continued exploring her body, feeling excitement and nervousness. She knew this was going to hurt, but she wanted to share herself fully with him.  
At some point their clothes were off and in a pile to the side of their blankets. They were moving and touching and kissing and whispering and suddenly Hermione understood everything her friends had ever told her about sex. It was like she was in a trance, her brain on mute, her body working only on instinct, and once they were done her head snapped back into place. She could feel the chills running through her veins, from her lips to her ankles. Everything inside of her was illuminated. She felt it, his love, as if it were a physical object. Sex with Draco was like taking a sip of him and housing a part of his soul inside of her body.  
Hermione held back tears but Draco persuaded her to let herself feel. He was reeling from their experience. Nothing had ever felt so good, and he had been with plenty of beautiful, enchanting women. But no one was Hermione. He rolled over to the side and pulled Hermione close to him. "Are you in pain?" he asked her.  
She knew what he was referring to. "Not really. I definitely feel it though," she chuckled. She yawned loudly and snuggled into Draco's side, curling her body to fit perfectly into his. Her eyes closed and she felt her breath deepening. The last thing she remembered was Draco pulling a soft blanket over her body and kissing her forehead.

~ { oOo } ~

Draco woke to a loud thud the following morning. "Oh my! Is that—?"  
Giggles erupted around them. "That's Hermione Granger! With Draco Malfoy!" A camera clicked.  
"Enough, students!"  
Draco rolled over, groggy, his brain still coming to. He jumped back when he saw twelve students and Professor Sinistra standing before them. He grabbed at Hermione, making sure she was covered. "Hermione, Hermione, wake up!" he hissed. She smiled up at him,", but when she saw the look on his face, her smile faded and she turned over.  
"Oh, my God!" she pulled the blanket up over her body completely.  
"Alright, alright, class, let's give them some privacy," said Professor Sinistra, who turned her class away in the opposite direction, giving Draco and Hermione time to gather their things and disappear into the staircase leading down from the astronomy tower.  
Professor Sinistra followed them down. "What on Earth do you two think you're doing sleeping here overnight? You may be Eighth Years, but that doesn't excuse this behavior. I have no choice but to report this to Professor McGonagall, who will determine your punishment." She looked back and forth between the two of them. "I am truly shocked, Miss Granger."  
Draco scoffed. "Who has class on Saturday mornings, anyway?"  
"We had to reschedule our usual time to learn about the morning star, not that that should matter at all. I must get back to my students; you two should dress yourselves and head back to your rightful dormitories." Professor Sinistra spun around dramatically and made the ascent up the stairs.  
Hermione looked at Draco in worry. "Don't worry about that," he reassured her. "Let me do the talking, and I'll make sure that photograph goes nowhere."  
"There's a photograph?" Hermione shrieked with wide eyes. "Oh, my God, this is the worst thing that could happen! You know how quickly photographs circulate through this castle." Draco pulled Hermione into an empty alcove and they quickly dressed. Draco gave Hermione a quick kiss on the lips and told her to meet him after classes that evening. She agreed and they headed their separate ways, each of them concerned with two different aspects of their spectacle that morning. 


End file.
